Audi A5

In the world of corporate brinkmanship, no two car companies play the game quite as hard as Audi and BMW. Launch for launch, model for model, the two mainstays of Teutonic executive transport are hell-bent on beating the other by fair means or foul. So it begs the question; why has Audi essentially allowed its most bitter rival to single-handedly dominate the executive-express coupe market? Whichever way you look at it, the 3-Series coupe has been a huge success for BMW, in both real sales figures and as an aspirational halo car for the middle management types of this world to aspire to. Audi, on the other hand, hasn't had a coupe since the mid-1980s.

Of course, in this age of a-car-for-every-niche, it solved that last year with the release of the A5. Essentially a preview of the new yet-to-launch A4 platform, the A5 benefits from all-new suspension bits and the direct-injection 3.2-litre V6 previewed in last year's A6.

Initially available in front wheel drive only, you had to stump up a lot more moolah for the V8-powered S5 before you could get all-paw grip... and quite frankly, the front-drive version left us a little cold. It didn't want to play in fun corners, and it isn't especially practical. What was the question again?

Now, though, the range has been fleshed out by the arrival of the A5 3.2 Quattro Tiptronic; in other words, it's an automatic, all-wheel drive version of the A5 complete with flappy-paddle six-speed gearbox. It's the same car in the flesh, with its raunchy rake and wide track (and BMW 3-Series coupe rear lights - did I say that out loud?), while the list of standard interior bits and bobs stretches up your arm, under your shirt and down to the middle of your back. Its MMI integration system works very well for a tiresome dially-buttony thing, and the front seats are magnificent. This, of course, is in complete contrast to the rear ‘seats' which make a terrier feel claustrophobic...

Our first drive has been a brief one; in all reality, I have a better idea of how to hook my phone up to the car's Bluetooth device than how the A5's transitive roll centre loading works against its lateral capacity. We have, however, logged more than a few miles in the Quattro S5, and this one continues the same path of solid functionality. One of the key traits of recent-generation Audis is a rock-solid, twist-free chassis; the net result is much higher levels of feel through the steering wheel and through your backside. The AWD system works in conjunction with a locking centre diff to drive 60 percent of the drive to the rear wheels (where it should be), and in the A5 Quattro, it all combines convincingly enough.

Even on the optional 19-inch wheels, broken tarmac and fishpond-sized potholes - thanks again, NSW RTA - are handled confidently and steering feel is feelsome if muffled. (It doesn't hurt that our tester is optioned up with nearly six grand's worth of Audi's finest adaptive shock absorber gubbins, either). The paddle-box and the V6 play very nicely together, actually; power delivery is hale and hearty right through the rev range, and it's easy to find more push just by tapping a paddle. And, unlike previous iterations of Audi Tiptronic gearboxes, this one actually wants to work wi' you, not agin' you. In fact, the car can be driven quite aggressively using the left foot to brake - something that Audis of only a couple of years ago were simply incapable of allowing you to do. Even the ESP is quite happy to play along before lightly reining in your foolish exuberance.
Audi's once again making its mark as a builder of driver's cars, and if you think a two-door A4 is a bit of you, the A5's a safe bet.